Tiger's lonely watch
by JupiterGodess
Summary: At the Rozan waterfall, a lone tiger is keeping watch. And at times, that loneliness gets overwhelming.


Tiger's lonely watch

The roar of the Rozan waterfall filled the air. It was loud, thundering, mighty, as the water fell dozens and dozens of feet into the gorge. However, beneath the waterfall's voice, there lied a silence heavy with years.

Dohko stared at the ever flowing stream in the darkening evening light. In the narrow canyon carved by the water, it was already pretty dark. Whenever a gust of wind blew, it filled the air with an unusual coolness and miniscule droplets.

Flowing… flowing… always flowing…

So long was Dohko already here, that sounds and sights had become a constant background to his life, one he didn't even notice consciously anymore. How much time has it actually been already? The old Saint couldn't tell exactly, but it ought to be around one hundred years. Long enough that his sense of time had become terribly blurred.

But apparently it hadn't been enough time for him to get used to some things. At days like this, his heart was so heavy. At days like this, the silence beneath the waterfall's roar echoed louder in his ears than ten Rozan waterfalls. He felt so incredibly lonely. One would think that after one hundred years, the Libra Saint might have gotten used to it. But he hadn't.

Dohko exhaled deeply. How he wished Shion was here with him now. What was he up to over there in Sanctuary? How was he faring? Then again, knowing Shion, he was probably doing a splendid job.

'_Still… I wish I could help you, my friend_.'

However, here was he duty Athena had bestowed upon Dohko. And he was never going to abandon it. No matter how hard it got. No matter how lonely he felt. But by the gods… At times like this, he dearly wished for company. Sure, sometimes the occasional Saint from Sanctuary visited, brought notice. However, they were always gone so quickly again, rarely having time for a chat. Leave alone that any of them might stay long-time. And so far, there had also been nobody suited as a student for him. Which might have provided him with some of the company he wished for.

By now, the sun had sunken completely. When the old Libra Saint looked up, he could see stars twinkling on the velvety canvas that was the sky. On an automatic impulse, he started to pick out the constellations he could see from his spot. There was Cassiopeia, Draco, Cepheus, Cygnus, Lynx, Ursa Major, Coma Berenices… Even Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo and Libra.

Dohko felt a faint smile curl his lips. His heart started to feel a little lighter as he kept gazing up at the glittering stars. He could even ever so faintly sense the presence of many people around him.

His comrades… his brothers-in-arms…

They had gone on. Perished in the fight against Hades and his army. But perhaps… perhaps Dohko wasn't as alone as he had thought. And suddenly, his burden, along with his heart, grew a bit lighter and easier to bear.

Author's note:

By Athena. Saint Seiya Awakening and it's story. So, there's some themed summons where you can play a small story featuring the… well, featured Saint. My favourite was of course Aiolos's, with Seiya gathering stories about him because Saori wants to know more about the man who saved her life. Damn, what he's being told hits right into the kokoro. But I'm getting off track. So, I played Dohko's story during his themed summon. And damn what a sad moment it has. Shiryu asks Dohko wether it hadn't been hard for him or not. Dohko says yes, it was, but whenever he looked up to the stars, he felt better. Of course he did… all his late comrades are watching from there. T.T Anyhow, it's what inspired this little piece.

Btw… somehow, that telepathy thing seems to be very inconsistent. At some points, Shion and Dohko are capable of communicating telepathically over such a large distance (like shown in both Lost Canvas and now canonically by Kurumada's Origin). But if so… other things made no sense. For example, shouldn't Dohko have acted in some way when he couldn't reach Shion anymore after his death? Enough time seems to have passed between that moment and Saga attempting to murder Athena.


End file.
